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6 Tips for Teaching Spelling to Students with Learning Disabilities

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As a special education teacher, I work with students with a wide range of abilities. The majority of the kids on my caseload have learning disabilities and many of them struggle greatly with both decoding and spelling. Here
are a few things I do in my groups to help my students with learning
disabilities succeed in learning spelling words:

1.Explicitly teach word
patterns and rules – I have found that it is so very important to teach (and
re-teach!) word patterns and rules.Kids
need to know the reason behind why you use certain word patterns – why you
would begin a word with c instead of k, or why you use tch instead of ch. I place posters in my classroom with each word
pattern we focus on so that my students can use them as a resource when they
are reading and spelling independently and in a group.

2.Read, write, and talk
about words with the patterns you are working on ALL THE TIME!!Keep returning to these words, even after you
have already given the spelling test.Whenever I teach a lesson on a word pattern, we not only spell lots of
words with that pattern, but we also read them on lists, in sentences, and in
passages.Whenever we have a book or
passage we’re reading, I have my students highlight words on certain pages that
have that same pattern.This makes my
students aware that they see the pattern all the time – not just on a spelling
list.

3.Use a multisensory
approach – When practicing spelling words, I frequently have my students spell
the words in sand, air write, or write on their arm with their finger.You can also have them write in different
colors, use finger-paint, write the word with a fun design, use play dough,
write on whiteboards, use their fingers to write on the table, or any other way
to get them interested in practicing their spelling.

4.Have your students sort
words by word pattern – I am always trying to make lessons into games for my
students, so we frequently do word sorts in my classroom.I often give my students word cards with the
spelling pattern left off.The kids then
have to think about the word pattern rule, add it into the box, and then sort
it under the correct heading.You can also have your students sort words in
their journals – have them create two columns with headings (i.e. c, k), say
a word to them and have them write the word under the correct heading.

5.Whenever possible, give
immediate feedback.This has been so key
for my students.I try to correct any
misspellings as soon as possible, as well as praise correct spelling with a
star.When a student has spelled a word
incorrectly, I underline the part of the word that was incorrect, have them fix
it, and then re-write it correctly next to or above it. I then put a star next to it for positive
reinforcement.

6.Hold your students
accountable for spelling words with the patterns/rules you’ve previously
taught.My students are expected to
spell words correctly in their writing if we’ve already worked on that specific
pattern.I do not take off points for
words with patterns we have not worked on yet (or for sight words that were not
previously taught or on our word wall).However, they must go back and fix any words that are incorrect by using
the resources around the room or in their journals.

Here
is what a typical word pattern lesson looks like for my students (This may
take 3+ days to get through everything as I only have my students for a short
time each day and we also work on many other things!):

Day 1:

1.Read
the list of words

2.Highlight
the word pattern – the kids take a highlighter and highlight the pattern in the
word.Depending on the rule, I may have them
use two different colors (i.e. highlight tch in blue, highlight ch in yellow)

3.Identify
the rule (i.e. tch, ch)

4.Have
the students circle any words they don’t know the meaning of and then discuss
(it’s so important that they understand the words so that they are meaningful
to them!)

5.If
you have some students who finish early (or just need another activity) – have them
draw a line between any rhyming words.

6.Read
sentences with words with the spelling pattern – highlight these words

7.In
their journals, I give my kids words to spell that have this word pattern – I say
a word, they spell it, and then I give immediate feedback (star for correct! Or
underline the part of the word they did incorrectly, then have them fix it
immediately).I then dictate sentences
for my students using our spelling words, or have them create their own
sentences using some of the words.

Day 2:

1.Read
spelling words on index cards as a warm-up; you could also have them go back to
their word list and draw lines between rhyming words.

2.Spelling
sort (as described in Tip #4)

3.Reading
passage (highlight the words in the passage with that pattern) – You can also
add in some comprehension questions too!

4.Have
your students air write or write in sand some of the spelling words (or any
other multi-sensory way!)

Day 3:

1.Read
spelling words on index cards as a warm up (or you can even use the spelling
sort cards from Day 2)

2.Write
some of the spelling words on the table with their finger (or any other
multi-sensory way!)

3.Reading
passage – re-read the same reading passage from Day 2 (or use another passage)
and highlight words with the spelling pattern you are working on).

4.Spelling
worksheet with boxes for each letter – I use these worksheets frequently.It really helps my students to see exactly
how many letters they need to use and decide which word pattern they should
use. It also gives you a chance to give
immediate feedback again.

Here
is a *FREEBIE* for you – a spelling worksheet that focuses on a-e (magic e) words. I hope you enjoy it! :)

What
are your favorite tips/tricks for teaching spelling in your classroom?!

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1 comments

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